Before I Guide You . . . (Pt. 2)
If we are going to get guidance from God, we must ask some significant questions about our own lives. Yesterday, I introduced the first question. Today, I am encouraging a second question I think we need to ask and answer before God gives us guidance in the areas of lives that are not clearly spelled out in Scripture:
2. Am I living a holy and obedient life? Psalm 66:18; 84:11; Ezekiel 20:1ff, 31
God’s moral will is revealed in the Bible through the commandments and other biblical principles: – don’t steal, don’t kill, don’t commit adultery, etc. God’s moral will is connected to his specific guidance for our lives. So, before we ask God who we should marry, where we should live, and how many children we should have, we should ask the question: Is there sin in our lives that would hinder our ability to talk to God and hear his directions for our lives clearly?
Popularity: 13% [?]
Tags: Guidance, Humility, Will of God
August 19th, 2010 at 4:25 pm
Great post. It reminds me of scripture that says if we're faithful in little things we'll be faithful in much. I believe the same goes for obedience too. God has to trust us to be obedient in the "smaller"/general areas in order for Him to give us bigger things to be obedient in. Don't know if that makes sense; it does in my head
Thanks for encouraging me today, Pastor. Have a blessed day!
September 1st, 2010 at 2:11 pm
This part has posed problems for me in my recovery.
1 Thess says, " Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. "
That's hard to do when you or others are suffering from rage or drunkenness or internal turmoil after an affair. Yes, it's one thing to be able to obey/adhere to this when all is well, but what about when we encounter or create chaos in our lives?
I say this to arrive at speaking to God. Yes, Jesus has washed our sins away for judgment, but what about here and now? What if I had just said an unkind word to someone? James 5:16 reads, "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." If I am dwelling in sin, how do I make the transition from sinner to righteous? If my wife wants me to cover her and pray for/with her and the house and kids, how is this possible if I am bringing the sin to the house?
How does one begin this transition? I say this because my prayer life has been an epic struggle. Why bother going to God in prayer if I know in my heart I'm not ready, nor do I want to submit to him yet at the same time, I have accepted Jesus as Lord as a gift of grace? what do we do when the desire is there, but the will isn't? is it possible to pray with sin on the heart and mind?